I always knew that I wanted to do something creative. Up until the age of 18, I was torn between fine art and contemporary dance. I think I have always been interested in how individual interpretations of the world richly inform how we experience it. Being dyslexic means that I often find language challenging, yet methods of making, such as drawing, painting, cooking, movement, and other kinetic and visual outputs come more easily to me.
I studied a BA Hons fine art at Loughborough University, mainly because I had a baby at the time, and it was one of the only good arts universities with an integrated nursery. I was awarded the Leicester Print workshop graduate prize which included the use of their facilities. I then went on to teach workshops for them, I enjoyed working with numerous groups of people along with developing my own printmaking skills. This led me to move to Glasgow to complete my Master’s in Print Media at GSA. Following this, it has been a whirlwind of painting, Covid, home-schooling, and swimming for my sanity! I’ve just started exhibiting work again and I am really enjoying the more collaborative aspects of working.
My current practice explores bodies of water across Scotland through my love of outdoor swimming. Since Covid, I was unable to print and therefore returned to painting in my home studio. I use a lot of translucent layers and boundaries to build the works, a bit like you would with printmaking. I’m always exploring new mediums, such as dying gesso and using new tools to replicate the visceral experience of submerging the body within the often cold/freezing water. I like to think of the process of making, being performative with memory and photographic documentation informing the final painting.
I like the variation being a visual artist brings. It often includes a lot of problem solving which I enjoy. I think you have to juggle a lot, between applications, exhibitions, social media, galleries, finances and actually making work. Some highlights for me include Dumfries House residency in association with the Royal Drawing School, two sell-out online exhibitions during Covid, and exhibiting at Dalkeith Palace.
Although I really like making work about individual experiences and solitary places, I often struggle with the lack of external input - which brings me nicely to the G20 Artist Collective. I really liked the idea of creating a more formal group that could share ideas with one another. By the end of last year I set myself a challenge to make this happen. I felt it was time to utilise the great quantity and quality of practicing creative professionals within the G20 postcode of Glasgow. Having met people on the school run, through neighbours, in the meadow, etc, it felt like there was an opportunity to work together. I wanted to create a group of varying disciplines and experiences to meet more frequently, and discuss work, opportunities and how to integrate better with the society where we are based. Strata, Thought Line is the inaugural exhibition for the G20 Collective that opens next week displaying works from 14 local artists including painting, photography, sculpture, and performance. Following our initial exhibition, we will be working with the Queen Margaret Drive Festival later in September, both exhibiting work and holding a free art workshop. We hope to continue meeting frequently and look forward to planning more exhibitions for the future.
Strata, Thought Line, a G20 Collective Exhibition hosted by The Alchemy Experiment, Byres Road, Glasgow, 2 -15 September. For more information, please visit: alchemyexperiment or follow @g20collective_artists on Instagram
